Revamp Old Recipes for Healthier Eats

July 25th, 2008

You may think that your favorite meatloaf or mashed potatoes are completely incompatible with your new, healthier diet plan. While you may not be able to eat Grandma’s recipe, that doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy your old favorites with a few new, healthier twists to change them up. There are many ways that you can work with and tweak recipes so that you can continue to eat the foods you know and love without having to worry about going too heavy on the calories, fat or carbs. Think it can’t be done? Consider these healthier substitutions in your favorite recipes.

Instead of butter, try: margarine, olive oil or applesauce. Depending on what you’re making, any of these can be a good substitute for butter. The most obvious and easiest replacement is margarine but for many veggie dishes olive oil can be a great replacement. And for baked goods, applesauce can be a much more low cal choice than butter.

Instead of sour cream try: plain yogurt Plain yogurt can be a great replace for high calorie sour cream in a variety of applications from dips to soups. If you can’t bear to give up your sour cream, opt for a low-fat option instead.

Instead of hamburger try: ground turkeyChances are good that you won’t miss your read meat when you replace it with ground turkey. Turkey is a lighter, healthier option and has a very similar taste and texture as hamburger meat. You can use it make just about anything you woul with hamburger. For an even healthier and more exotic replacement, consider ostrich meat.

Instead of cream cheese try: ricotta and yogurt, neufantel cheese If you want to whip up a delicious cheesecake you may not need to invest in a load of cream cheese. These alternatives can make desserts that are just as delicious with a fraction of the bad stuff in them.

Instead of potatoes try: cauliflower, sweet potatoes or parsnips Mashed potatoes are undoubtedly delicious but if you’re trying to cut back on carbs or eat a little healthier, these other options offer up plenty of vitamins and minerals without giving up taste.

These substitutions may not make your recipes quite the way that you’re used to, but they’ll still be so tasty and delicious, plus healthier, that you aren’t likely to mind all that much.